Prologue

Book 1: Naedira

Three are the worlds of the Sundered Lands;

Three are the spirits in the heart of Man;

By three-fold curse were the Realms unseamed;

And by three young hearts they may be redeemed.

Prologue

The sun globes burned dully, casting a fitful reddish color that simply rearranged, rather than dispelled, the shadows crowding the small round turret room where four young people sat huddled together in a tight circle. The others had praised the caster, calling it wisdom to so skillfully balance their desire to see each other with their absolute need for secrecy, though the truth was much more mundane. The caster was still newly arrived and was ill-used to the strange power now blossoming within him, and that unease made it difficult for him to successfully cast even the simplest of spells. This difficulty was what had compelled him to swallow his pride and request the task of setting the lights for their gathering, and the others had not had the heart to refuse him.

He was, by far, the most imposing of the four gathered here, physically at least. He stood a hand above the two boys to his right and his left, and towered almost two hands above the one girl in their midst, who sat opposite him in the circle. Though not really quite as wide as he was tall, still his broad shoulders and thickly muscled limbs gave the impression of a crouching boulder, impassive and immovable. His grey eyes moved slowly, cautiously, a habit which, along with the blunt features of his face, had caused many in his past to dismiss him as slow witted and dull, a charge he had heard leveled against him so often in his young life that he now more than half believed it himself. His sun-bleached blonde hair was cropped short, except for the leather bound braid that hung down his back almost to the center of his shoulder blades.

The boy to his right was his polar opposite in almost every respect. Though not short precisely, unless compared to the caster’s bulky frame, he was wiry thin and sat with an air of barely contained energy, a coiled spring that could burst in any direction at any moment. His raven dark hair, which could only be described as luxurious, hung loosely down to his shoulders; when he turned to look or to speak, it flowed about his head like a halo of power. His dark eyes danced continually, holding a keen intelligence and an air of barely suppressed mirth, which emphasized the general air of mischievousness that began with the perpetual smirk that adorned his sharp features. Yet there was also kindness there, a gentle understanding that spoke of loyalty and friendship. This young man radiated unconscious power and authority, as if he was accustomed to being heard and obeyed. Undeniably there was arrogance in his bearing, but it was born of long experience with wealth and privilege, experience that had not yet had time to be fully unlearned.

The boy to the caster’s left was small in truth, his slighter stature exaggerated by his posture. He sat amidst his comrades almost huddling into himself, as if unsure that he was truly welcome, truly part of this group. He was pale, almost to the point of being sickly, the product of long years spent within the sunless corridors of this place. His head was clean shaven, which tended to emphasize the small, pinched features that made up his face. Even his eyes were pale, of a shade that was almost impossible to identify as they darted about, always moving, casting about the small, dim chamber, resting lightly on first one companion then another, never lingering long, lest some danger creep up on him unseen. His eyes were the only part of him that moved. Otherwise, he sat as still as a statue, as if fearing to draw attention to himself through any movement. He was the youngest of the group, perhaps no more than fifteen though it was impossible to say, and he himself did not know.

And on the far side of the small circle, sitting ever so slightly apart from her companions, was the girl. A young woman really, perched as she was on the cusp of adulthood, though that impression was perhaps more from the weary sense of experience that hung about her than from the fact that she was, at nineteen, the oldest of the group. Her hazel eyes were bright but pensive, contemplating something in the far distance, something that perhaps the others could not see. Though her complexion was not dark by any means, still she could never have been described as fair skinned. She was solidly built, though still more petite than the men around her, giving the impression that she was familiar with work and was able to labor long and hard, when the occasion demanded it. Her long, red-gold hair, bound in a tight braid, was slung casually in front of her right shoulder, where her thin, surprisingly delicate fingers toyed with it from time to time. Though not a great beauty, by any means, she was certainly pretty, and the light of intelligence and wisdom shining from her eyes did nothing to diminish her. She sat more straight than her companions, who leaned ever so slightly toward her, as if she was somehow drawing them in toward her and holding them together. In a sense, she was; she had gathered them together this night and was as much of a leader to their group as any of them could be.

Three men, one woman, none alike. Three wore the dull brown woolen robes and trousers of Learners; the youngest was dressed in a shabby white robe with a corded belt of braided leather cinched tightly around his waist. His arms were bare; a thin, greyish metal band fit snugly around the right wrists of the other three, bands that dully reflected the lurid red light of the poorly cast sun globes.

The girl sat up straighter, gazed at each of her companions in turn, and began to speak.

FEEDBACK on this Prologue is requested! I’m interested in any thoughts any of you might have, but specifically I’d like answers to these two questions:

First, are the characters described clearly, in a way that helps you picture them? And second, would reading this make you want to keep reading the (as yet unwritten) first chapter of the book?

Thanks in advance for any help you are willing and able to give!

Go on to read Chapter 1: Naming Day